Research Progress on Oxidative Stress and Its Nutritional Regulation Strategies in Pigs

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In the process of production, especially the modern intensive scale farming where high quality and high efficiency are pursued, pigs are subjected to a series of adverse stimuli from birth to slaughter (e.g., immunotherapy, environmental changes, uncomfortable temperature, feed contamination, improper transportation, slaughter methods, etc.). These adverse stimuli eventually translate into an imbalance in redox levels in the body, resulting in oxidative stress. The generation of oxidative stress, in turn, eventually causes damage to the pigs. To eliminate/reduce this harmful effect and counteract oxidative stress, pigs use part of the energy reserved for growth, which eventually leads to a decrease in production performance and causes unnecessary economic losses. ABSTRACT: Oxidative stress refers to the dramatic increase in the production of free radicals in human and animal bodies or the decrease in the ability to scavenging free radicals, thus breaking the antioxidation–oxidation balance. Various factors can induce oxidative stress in pig production. Oxidative stress has an important effect on pig performance and healthy growth, and has become one of the important factors restricting pig production. Based on the overview of the generation of oxidative stress, its effects on pigs, and signal transduction pathways, this paper discussed the nutritional measures to alleviate oxidative stress in pigs, in order to provide ideas for the nutritional research of anti-oxidative stress in pigs.